PUDUKKOTTAI: In a tragic incident, a 17-year-old NEET aspirant from Pudukkottai ended her life as she could not download her hall ticket. A tiff with her father over this led her to consume pesticide, said police sources. She had misplaced her application number and security PIN.
A bright student, 17-year-old Harishma always dreamed of being a doctor, said people who knew her well. As she scored 400 in her 12th board exams, her father Ganesan told her to join engineering, said a police officer investigating the case. But Harishma told her father that her heart was set on clearing NEET.
As the day for the NEET exam neared, Harishma’s cousin got her admit card for the exam.
“Harishma’s cousin in Karur downloaded the admit card for NEET. Her uncle called her father and asked him if Harishma had downloaded the admit card. When Ganesan asked Harishma about it, she confessed that she had forgotten the application number. Ganesan said that they would go to her school and get the admit card. He also seems to have shouted at her for misplacing the number,” said the Alangudi Inspector.
Alangudi DSP Muthuraja told The New Indian Express that when the father and daughter went to the school to seek help for retrieving the application number, the teacher was not there. After coming home, sources say that Ganesan shouted at Harishma again.
The next morning (29th August), Harishma consumed some pesticide which her father, a farmer, had kept for using on the crops, along with her food, when her parents were out. When her parents returned, they found her looking unwell. She complained of stomach pain and loose motions.
“Harishma’s parents took her to the Pudukkottai Medical College Hospital immediately. Despite treatment, she died on 1st September in the morning. A case has been registered and investigation is on,” said Muthuraja, DSP Alangudi.
Hailing from T Kalabam village in Alangudi, Harishma completed her 12th from a private school in Pattukottai.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)